I’m going to share a little secret. I am a fan of Makita. I know it’s a surprise. We aren’t supposed to show any bias when reviewing Tools but I fail sometimes. It’s not that I chose a color and said it was the best ever and every other color is garbage. I actually spent many years opposed to buying Makita Tools. Although I had a good impression of Makita when I was a kid that impression was tarnished by the HVAC contractor I worked for when I left home. He bought a brand new reciprocating saw and broke the blade clamp off the shaft on the first day. Instead of exchanging it and giving Makita a chance he just kept telling me Makita was junk. That stuck with me for years. I would often overlook Makita tools when making buying decisions because of that experience.

That eventually got turned around. With each Makita tool I bought I saw more and more that my old boss was mistaken. That reciprocating saw was definitely a defect that slipped through the cracks. I feel it important to recognize that all companies have defects and lemons from time to time for whatever reason. I have also learned that some have more than others. In my 30 years of building and remodeling experience Makita seems to have fewer defective tools than many companies. It’s also the vibe I get from talking to many repair technicians over the years.

I’m really glad I got over that negative mindset because if I hadn’t I really would have missed out on some incredible tools over the years. My favorite tools are usually cordless and Makita is a clear market leader in many of the tools that matter most to me.

This Makita sub compact 6 ½” brushless saw is the newest one on the market and should just now be hitting stores. We get to use them a little while before they hit the market so we can let everyone who is interested know about them.

So far this little guy is a beast. Even though it is one of the smallest 18v saws out there it has full size power and features. Total length is only 10 5/8″. It has a magnesium upper blade guard and an aluminum foot plate to save weight so it weighs less than 6 1/2 lbs with a 2.0 battery. The 6 1/2′ blade will cut material up to 2 1/4″.

The LED light is well placed for those last few cuts we need to make when the sun is disappearing from our winter skies. With automatic speed change it sips batteries when making easier cuts but has gobs of power and extra torque when you need it. It blows through plywood 2x lumber and LVL with ease. Hardwoods are also a piece of cake. Even bevel cuts are good. The lower guard is well designed. It works smoothly with fewer hang ups than many saws. There is a provision for adding a rafter hook. It has 2 tapped holes in the upper blade guard so you can screw it in. I am definitely going to order one as soon as I can. A good hook really helps protect the saw from falls as well as keeping it handy between cuts.

A sweet bonus feature is the dust nozzle that was included. It makes the saw much more versatile. You can use it normally with or without the nozzle or you can hook it up to your vacuum or dust extractor to have great dust control. It’s attached with a tab on the upper end and a machine screw on the lower end. It’s seems to get the majority of the dust. This feature has been sorely lacking in circular saws sold in North America. They have been included with most brands sold in Europe and Australia for many years. We need the option of working dust free too. It may seem like a hassle at first but it can actually save time in the end because you don’t have as much cleaning at the end of the job. It also helps protect our lungs from all the harmful things we cut.

This saw is positioned below the XSH03 blade left saw so it does have a few cost saving parts. You will notice the lower blade guard is plastic. The footplate is not Magnesium. Rather it is stamped aluminum. I don’t know if you will ever notice the difference in actual use. It could be an advantage if the saw is dropped. You can straighten aluminum easier than Magnesium.

The bevel adjustment is held tight on both ends of the plate. There is a longer lever on the front and a thumb screw on the back. It is easy to adjust to 45° consistently or if you need to get more adjustment there is a simple tab you can rotate out-of-the-way.

Even though it is a less expensive saw it seems to have the same motor as the XSH03. If it isn’t they sure did an awesome job with the replacement. To me it sounds really close and it turns the blade at the same 5,000 RPM. At the time of this writing I do not have an XSH 03 to directly compare. My XSH03 stayed behind in Puerto Rico for other disaster relief workers to keep using and I haven’t ordered a replacement yet. From memory this seems to be equal in power. It is certainly more powerful than any of the 18v brushed saws. I noticed it also seems more powerful than the Milwaukee Fuel brushless saw and is over a pound lighter in weight also.

For me, I personally prefer the XSH03 because it is blade left. When growing up in Arizona we used nothing but Skilsaw worm drive units. They are all blade left. I have a lot of experience with blade right saws like this one but I am always more comfortable with a blade left saw. Many of you are just the opposite and prefer a blade right saw. If that is you I highly recommend this saw. You won’t find a more powerful, lighter or more compact 6 1/2″ saw anywhere .

54 Comments

Tim LeFave

Love the great review! Luv Makita also!! Great products! It has a lot of great features and I knw the durability of the brand. This saw would be well used in my business and volunteer work! I love the light feature as well do a lot of jobs that have very poor to no lighting. So keeping the saw on the mark is the most important part of the cut? excited about the new max efficiency blades would love to try them out for sure!

Stewcob

Another great review and heads up from @toolpig !!! The saw AND blades look phenomenal and I can’t wait to get my hands on one!!! Thanks again toolpig for all the great things you and your family do!!!

Brian Wagner

Anonymous

Charles Murphy

This saw would be great in so many situations. Packing for Disaster relief, cutting inside return and supply air chase. The battery extending past the rear of the saw on other brands limits there usefulness a lot of the time. Would be nice to try out every time you need it!

Jacob

Craig

It looks like this is the perfect saw for 90% of of things. I have become a Makita guy and I grew up in a Milwaukee M12 house. I am so glad I went with the Makita I have the 3 piece sub compact kit and looking to expand my colletion. Is there any tool you suggest I get next.

Cory Wilson

Craig

My dad is a Milwaukee M12 person and was going to go down the road and decided to go Makita and got the Sub Compact 3 piece set and very happy with my decision. I am looking to expand the tools I have and just don’t know what I should get next. I have been thinking about the XPT02Z what are your recommendations. Also do you think Makita will come out with a cordless ratchet like the M12?

Dan Curtin

Mitch Lockhart

Looks like a great saw. I recently got into makita tools due to the overwhelming reviews from people such as your self. Currently have the subcompact 18v drill/impact kit. This looks like a great addition.

Cory wilson

Awesome review! I am just starting to build my Makita collection and am looking at this as a second cordless saw. My dad was a general contractor and he used nothing but Makita forever with no issues. So of course I followed suit!

Jason Peserik

Wes

You guys definitely got my attention on the constant, what looked to be flawless rips. I’m impressed!! I’m a Milwaukee guy, however if you don’t spend $100+per batt, the skillsaws performance lacks greatly. Learned to not let my guys walk off with my two 5XC 18V batts in their drills.

Great write-up. I am looking to go all cordless and I am already on the Makita platform as well. I am torn between this saw and and the XSH03 due to the metal lower guard and it being blade left(never had one on that side). But if the power is the same as the 03 this ones almost a no brainer due to the size and weight. A saw this size would cover most of my needs and if I need more power my Makita 5007MG is there as well.

Gregory delgado

Charlie

I would love to get my hands on one of these saws, I’ve never bought a Makita tool either, but not because I’ve ever thought they weren’t good tools – they’re just really expensive! But this saw sounds incredible, and I’d love to get to put it to the test myself. I have a 6 1/2” cordless Bosch circular saw that I love using and I bet it’s performance would increase too with one of these new Makita blades.

Anthony Dean

Anonymous

Ron Poulin

Hey fellas! Great content keep it up! Can’t wait to try this saw! I just picked up some. Makita brushless impact and router with a 5 amp batt and gotta say I really like them… The battery is just designed so smart!

Jeff Hoepker, IG- jeff_t_dadof3

I have always liked Makita tools because when I started out my boss had 3 of the old slide in battery drills. I thought they were SO cool even though they were 7.2 volt and almost useless for power. Makita definitely made an impression on me though. I have owned a couple of their 10” miter saws and loved them. This little saw looks like a great fit for tight places. Thanks for the review.